D&D 5E Random Class and Race Tables

[Hriston]

Hi,

I just wanted to share some tables I’ve started using to make characters. I converted these two tables from pages 175 and 176 of the AD&D 1st Edition DMG to use with 5E. I’ve tried to preserve the ratios from the original tables as much as possible. I roll up a race and a class and voila, instant character. Enjoy!

edit: I've added a new version of the class table and some subtables in a post below, which replaces the one here.

d100​	Race​
01​	Dragonborn​
02-06​	Dwarf​
07-11​	Elf​
12-13​	Gnome​
14-18​	Half-Elf​
19-20​	Halfling​
21​	Half-Orc​
22-99​	Human​
00​	Tiefling​

d100​	Class​
01-17​	Cleric​
18-20​	Druid​
21-40​	Barbarian​
41-60​	Fighter​
61-62​	Paladin​
63-65​	Ranger​
66-72​	Sorcerer​
73-79​	Warlock​
80-86​	Wizard (Other)​
87-88​	Wizard (Illusionist)​
89-98​	Rogue (Other)​
99​	Rogue (Assassin)​
00​	Monk OR Bard​

 

[Connorsrpg]

These percentages would obviously change depending upon the setting and how common each race is. I outline which races are common and uncommon in a region of a setting, then other races are possibilities to be from surrounding regions.

These tables clearly skew the results in favour of some classes and races, which is very cool to get a feeling of what is more common in an area. But again, not sure if any use to PCs who are often exceptions anyway.

For me, there are 12 classes. When rolling my character that is simple; I use a d12 (though in actuality, as I use non-WotC classes too it is more like a d20 )

Anyway, thanks for sharing. I like seeing tables like this and love that others do them too. (I have massive race tables for a GM creating a realm and populating them too).

 

[Hriston]

These percentages would obviously change depending upon the setting and how common each race is. I outline which races are common and uncommon in a region of a setting, then other races are possibilities to be from surrounding regions.

These tables clearly skew the results in favour of some classes and races, which is very cool to get a feeling of what is more common in an area. But again, not sure if any use to PCs who are often exceptions anyway.

For me, there are 12 classes. When rolling my character that is simple; I use a d12 (though in actuality, as I use non-WotC classes too it is more like a d20 )

Anyway, thanks for sharing. I like seeing tables like this and love that others do them too. (I have massive race tables for a GM creating a realm and populating them too).

I think the tables on which these tables are based are an example of how 1E has an implied setting, but I wouldn’t take them to strongly imply any demographic information beyond how the typical adventuring party is composed. For anyone not too familiar with the 1E DMG, these tables are pulled from the Character Subtable, which is for generating randomly encountered NPC adventuring parties that are met with in dungeons, as psionic encounters, as henchmen in castles with “character-type” inhabitants, in uninhabited/wilderness areas with temperate and subtropical conditions, and (in slightly modified form) on the astral and ethereal planes. So what these percentages tell us about the implied world is what races and classes one would typically find in a party of adventurers, but not what races or classes one would typically encounter under other conditions or in the world at large. I think the prevalence of half-elves in adventuring parties is a good example of this. I don’t think it implies that half-elves are just as prevalent in the world as elves or dwarves, but rather that a typical party is as just as likely to include a half-elf as it is one of those other two races.

 

[Connorsrpg]

All true and very useful for a 'standard' game, whatever that is. People may find these useful. Just saying I already have ways of determining these things in my settings. And if playing a PC, I just do randomly and would never use a chart where there is less than 1% of playing a bard. As you said, adventuring parties are different and I doubt less than 1% have bards. Kinda the same point you made with half-elves.

No matter though. I hope people find these useful.

 

[Lanefan]

What's missing from the class table is any chance of the character (if higher than 1st level) being multiclass. I'd give it a 10% chance and if it hits, roll again on the class table re-rolling if you get the same class again or if you get something mutually incompatible e.g. an Assassin-Paladin.

To make it reflect 5e a bit more I'd knock 10% off the Barbarian chance and split it between Monk and Bard, as those two classes are a lot more "mainstream" in 5e than they were in 1e.

 

[Li Shenron]

These tables clearly skew the results in favour of some classes and races, which is very cool to get a feeling of what is more common in an area. But again, not sure if any use to PCs who are often exceptions anyway.

For me, there are 12 classes. When rolling my character that is simple; I use a d12 (though in actuality, as I use non-WotC classes too it is more like a d20 )

I have sometimes played a randomly generated PC and used d12 to roll for class, but I must say that the uneven probability distribution is exactly what makes a random table interesting.

Because, you know, everyone can make an equal distribution, and they are all the same, but an uneven distribution implies decisions and is therefore an expression of the author's ideas and feelings.

 

[Coroc]

Reincartnation ftw...

 

[pemerton]

I think the tables on which these tables are based are an example of how 1E has an implied setting, but I wouldn’t take them to strongly imply any demographic information beyond how the typical adventuring party is composed.

<snip>

what these percentages tell us about the implied world is what races and classes one would typically find in a party of adventurers, but not what races or classes one would typically encounter under other conditions or in the world at large.

Two thoughts:

(1) Have you ever tried to reconcile the table you used with some of the other tables found in the DMG? Obviously the ones for ranger and thief/assassin followers are very specific and hence have different spreads (although given that any race can be a thief one might think the table in that respect shouldn't depart too far from a more generic one; but it does, very significantly). And when it comes to class, there is the henchman one which is different from the encounter one, and then there is the different-again spread of adventuring classes on the city encounter table.

(2) What was your basis for interpolating likelihoods for the classes and races not found in AD&D?

 

[Hriston]

All true and very useful for a 'standard' game, whatever that is. People may find these useful. Just saying I already have ways of determining these things in my settings. And if playing a PC, I just do randomly and would never use a chart where there is less than 1% of playing a bard. As you said, adventuring parties are different and I doubt less than 1% have bards. Kinda the same point you made with half-elves.

No matter though. I hope people find these useful.

I’m not sure what a “standard“ game is either. The type of game for which I think some tables like this could be useful is one that has a “Gygaxian” feel, which is my interest in converting them. I think this produces a markedly different result than, say, randomly generating class with a d12 and race with a d9, which I would characterize as more of a “kitchen sink” aesthetic, which I don’t mean to be disparaging in any way. There’s nothing wrong with that preference, and of course the default for both 1E and 5E is for the player to simply choose their desired race and class, but the premise of this thread is that it’s desirable to randomly generate those things, as one might for an NPC, and for my preference making all races and classes equally as likely doesn’t produce the desired result. I hope that clarifies my intent here.

 

[Hriston]

What's missing from the class table is any chance of the character (if higher than 1st level) being multiclass. I'd give it a 10% chance and if it hits, roll again on the class table re-rolling if you get the same class again or if you get something mutually incompatible e.g. an Assassin-Paladin.

To make it reflect 5e a bit more I'd knock 10% off the Barbarian chance and split it between Monk and Bard, as those two classes are a lot more "mainstream" in 5e than they were in 1e.

I’ll have to look into how multiclassing is handled in the Character Subtable to tell you how I’d do it, but yes, I was mostly thinking about generating 1st-level characters in converting these tables, and I also sought to preserve the class-balance as given.